Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

There have been a lot of questions about happiness lately (unsurprising for an advice column). Considering that about 99% of our active users were born between 1978 and 1998, I thought we could use a Likert scale to survey our particular slice of Millennials. I chose life satisfaction because I think that is more quantifiable than happiness.

I was torn between "mostly satisfied" and "neutral/mixed feelings." My feelings are variable, but if I think today compared to one, five, ten years ago, then "mostly satisfied" is more fitting.

I'm at "mixed feelings" because I'm at yet another junction of life where I am hanging between change and stagnation. This situation always brings out feelings of longing, restlessness, fear, and uncertainty. Equally balanced against that are feelings of excitement, love of the moment, fearlessness.

In a matter of minutes I can be ready to leave and just escape the now and then become so satisfied with the situation that I never want to leave this moment. Just yesterday I was hanging out with two guy friends - one of whom I have an unrequited über-crush on - and I didn't want a single thing to change. I didn't have everything I wanted. There were so many problems. But if that afternoon had lasted forever, I felt like all would be good. And yet, that same unrequited crush is a major part of why I just want to leave everything behind and go somewhere new. Over a year of pining for someone is just unproductive, so why not just take the chance and go somewhere totally new with new people?

These are the conflicting thoughts of my soul.

mic0 wrote:I was torn between "mostly satisfied" and "neutral/mixed feelings." My feelings are variable, but if I think today compared to one, five, ten years ago, then "mostly satisfied" is more fitting.

This very well describes how I feel! I ended up going with "neutral/mixed" though.

I have more acute bouts of dissatisfaction than most people I know, but overall, I'm in a good place.

I'm kind of in between "mostly satisfied" and "very satisfied" right now.

I am very satisfied, but also very anxious and kind of terrified. I graduated from med school, I got into the residency program I want, I get to do a master's in medical education while I'm doing residency, I bought a house, and I am finally learning how to drive and I'm going to get a car, and I'm actually starting to feel ok about being in my 30s and not being married or having kids. Very exciting things are happening, but also lots of new stuff happening all at once and it's kind of scary.

Also, hi! I did not disappear off the face of the earth. I haven't been around here (or a lot of places in a while), but now I actually have free time again!

so just curious- what kind of residency?

I was neutral, because limbo does that to you, but I just got a job teaching English at a good high school in the same city as my family, so I'm rocketed straight over to awesome (and with a mild case of shock). I expect I'll sink down a bit again when I hit all the planning and moving and prep work I need to do, with no real schedule over the summer, but still: it's going to be good, I think. As good as I could hope for.

the anglophile wrote:so just curious- what kind of residency?

Family medicine! In my number one choice program, which also happens to be in the city I already live in.

Congrats to NerdGirl and Uffish! Sounds like you're both moving forward with some great opportunities.